WCS Canada President gives evidence on caribou emergency order
WCS Canada President Justina Ray today gave evidence before the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development regarding the federal government’s Emergency Order for Boreal Caribou Protection under the Species at Risk Act.
In her remarks, WCS Canada President Justina Ray said:
“First Nations, civil society, and scientists alike can see that the measures to drive recovery of caribou implemented by the Quebec government have proven inadequate for over a decade, despite their oft- stated goal of achieving self-sustaining caribou populations.
“The scientific evidence supporting the need for emergency intervention is clear and compelling. Delaying implementation of what is ultimately a restrained response to nature of the crisis at hand increases the risk of irreversible losses and makes future recovery efforts costly and complex.
“The proposed emergency order is a critical stop-gap measure designed to address an immediate crisis. While this must be implemented, more permanent, systemic solutions must also be developed to fulfil the long-standing public commitments to not merely prevent extinction, but to actively recover caribou in Quebec.”
Other key points:
- Our review of the evidence shows that the order could have been applied to additional herds in Quebec that are also in very poor shape.
- The scope of the emergency order is conservative, with limited areas of interest within each range and prohibitions that do not restrict mining activities.
- It is a common tactic for those uncomfortable with the outcomes of scientific assessments to call for additional studies. Boreal caribou are among the most studied wildlife species in Canada. Research consistently shows that habitat disturbance leads to population declines, and this relationship has been documented repeatedly across multiple jurisdictions, and acknowledged by governments, including Quebec.
